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Today's top Florida stories

• News Service of Florida: Florida Shutting Off Federal Jobless Aid. "Florida plans to stop providing $300 a week in additional federal unemployment benefits as it pushes for people to return to work during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced Monday that starting June 26 the state will no longer participate in the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program."

• Tampa Bay Times ($): George Floyd was murdered a year ago. Many Black Floridians still can’t watch. "...smartphones and social media drive a new wave of outrage and activism, documenting Black men killed by police. Eric Garner. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. George Floyd. But what has served as an awakening for some is too painful for others."

• WFSU: Harvard's McCullough Named FSU President. "McCullough is presently the Vice Provost of Research at Harvard University, but while he may be second-in-command at an elite Ivy League institution his background is firmly rooted in public education with degrees from a community college and a state university."

• WUFT News: The Importance Of Urban Forests In Florida For Suburban Birds. "Natalie Pegg and Ryan Buron are doing research in Gainesville neighborhoods and forest fragments like Loblolly Woods to study how urban forests are used by local and migratory birds."

• Spectrum News: USF finds no widespread effects from Piney Point spill. "Instead, early results indicate that the effects of the wastewater discharge are localized."

• WUFT News: Journey To Juneteenth Scavenger Hunt Highlights Historical Black Figures. "Depot Park was full of young children Saturday looking for combs, chalk and photos of Black leaders from Alachua County. The children’s scavenger hunt for Black history artifacts was one of the first events in Gainesville’s monthlong 'Journey to Juneteenth' celebration." Listen to today's episode of our podcast to hear the reporter behind this story explain why it matters.

• Gainesville Sun ($): Gainesville's equity director won't get severance pay as she holds onto option to sue. "The resignation of a woman who heads a city program that investigates programs and policies for racial and gender equity is official. Ironically, Teneeshia Marshall, a Black woman, said she’s resigning because she herself has been treated with a lack of respect in her job."

• Atrium Magazine: A Florida woman’s rebirth through her pandemic pregnancy. "COVID had already forced Stephanie Stamas to abandon the city she loved. She felt lost and anxious as the birth of her second child neared. She and her husband knew something had to change. So, they headed to Florida."

• Politico: How Matt Gaetz helped make Ron DeSantis. "Before federal investigators were looking into Gaetz in an ongoing sex scandal, he was a top campaign adviser to DeSantis, who he met while both served in Congress. DeSantis at the time was a little-known GOP congressman in 2018 and needed help navigating Florida’s political landscape as he weighed whether to run for governor."

• WMFE: Murphy Shelves Senate Plans. "US Rep. Stephanie Murphy says she won’t run for Senate, and instead will concentrate on her re-election campaign."

• WUSF: Floridians Are Eager To Travel To Europe, But European Visitors To Florida Will Have To Wait. "Floridians are booking trips to Europe, after last week's announcement that tourists are being welcomed back by the European Union starting this summer. However, it could be a while before visitors from Europe and elsewhere return to the Sunshine State."

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From NPR News

• Health: As Life Begins To Return To Normal, Psychologists Say Expect Anxiety

• Health: In 25 States, More Than Half Of Adults Are Fully Vaccinated

• Education: New York City Schools Will Fully Reopen With No Remote Option This Fall

• National: Across The U.S., Mayors Are Stepping Down After A Rough 2020 And 2021

• Science: As More Birds Fly Into Buildings, Scientists Study How To Limit Collision Deaths

• Politics: Impeachment Witness Gordon Sondland Is Suing Mike Pompeo And U.S. For $1.8 Million

About today's curator

I'm Ethan Magoc, a news editor at WUFT. Originally from Pennsylvania, I've found a home telling Florida stories. I’m part of a team searching each morning for local and state stories that are important to you; please send feedback about today's edition or ideas for stories we may have missed to emagoc@wuft.org.